Apparatus for filling ball point pens



Dec. 17, 1957 I H. w. WALDENI 2,816,530

APPARATUS FOR FILLING-BALL POINT PENS Filed June so,- 1955 2 SheetsvSheet 1 HIIIHIIIH Illll INVENTOR Dec. 17, 1957 H. w. WALDEN AIPPARATUS FOR FILLING BALL POINT PENS 2 Sheets-Sheet i2 A ll/Il/ll/II/I/II [Ill Filed June 30, 1955 EEE United States Fatent O APPARATUS FOR FILLING BALL POINT PENS Henry W. Walden, New York, N. Y.

Application June 30, 1955, Serial No. 519,071

Claims. (Cl. 141-258) This invention relates to an apparatus and method for filling ball-point fountain pens and the ink-containing cartridges generally used in that type of fountain pen.

At the present time, most ball-point pens contain a removable and replaceable ink-holding cartridge, which usually consists of a slender tube made of either plastic material or of metal and provided at one end with a metallic tip in which the ball-point is rotatively mounted. These cartridges are supplied in ink-filled condition when the pen is purchased, and when the ink supply in the cartridge is depleted, it is necessary to discard the cartridge, including the ball-point and its mounting, and place a new ink-filled cartridge within the pen. These inkfilled cartridges, which require frequent replacement, are relatively expensive, and must be replaced rather than refilled, due to the fact that the consumer has no means by which to re-fill an empty cartridge of this type.

In my co-pending application Serial No. 498,911, filed April 4, 1955, is shown an apparatus and method by which these cartridges may be easily refilled, and the present invention has reference to an improvement in the type of apparatus and method disclosed in said application.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel method and means by which cartridges of the character herein described can be refilled, or in cases where the ink is placed directly in the body of the pen rather than in a replaceable cartridge, such pen can be refilled with ink at a fraction of the cost of a new cartridge or pen, particularly since the refilling of a cartridge or pen does not require the replacement of the ball-point and its mounting.

It is an object of the invention to provide a method and means by which hardened or corroded ink in a cartridge can be softened or liquified just before the refilling operation. It is an object of the invention to provide means by which a pen orcartridge can be subjected to the action of centrifugal force, either for the purpose of displacing solvent-softened ink or else for forcing ink within the cartridge toward the point thereof.

It is an object of the invention to provide a relatively simple and inexpensive device of the character above described, and which can be employed in homes, in stores, business houses or elsewhere where substantial numbers of the ball-point pens are used and the constant replacement of the empty cartridges is found inconvenient or expensive. The simplicity of the described structure and the improved method of filling and centrifuging the cartridges is such that the device can be operated by any user of these ball-point pens, or by filling stations set up where the user can go to have his pen refilled in a matter of moments and at very small cost.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts and steps to be described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation, with parts in section, of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention with the front of the housing removed;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, on a reduced scale, of the upper portion of the apparatus, looking at the same from the left side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a portion of the apparatus, and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings 1 indicates a base member or supporting plate of the apparatus and which can, if desired, be supported by a suitable bracket attached to a wall or other fixed element or otherwise suitably mounted. Secured to the front of the base member 1 is a housing 2 containing gearing and other operating elements of the apparatus, and to be described in detail. Located in the lower wall 44 of the housing 2 is an elongated cylinder 3, which extends for a short distance upwardly within the housing 2 and projects downwardly from the same to extend through the rear portion of an ink-com taining reservoir indicated at 4. Said reservoir 4 contains a supply of ink as indicated at 13, and which ink is in a relatively thick liquid form, and reaches the interior of the cylinder 3 through the outlet 16 formed in the lower part of the reservoir 4. A check valve 17 is employed in the outlet. In the form shown, the check valve 17 is indicated as being of the flap type, but it will be apparent that a ball valve or other suitable check valve of known character may be employed. The cylinder is formed with an opening 18 in its side wall, and which registers with the outlet 16. The reservoir 4 is normally closed by a cover 14 provided with a knob 15 by which the cover is removable to replenish the ink supply.

Mounted for reciprocating movement within the cylinder 3 is a piston 5 which is provided respectively at its opposite ends with the packings 6 and 7. Connected to the upper end of the piston is a piston rod 8, which is toothed as indicated at 9, to form a rack that is slidably guided through guide brackets indicated at 11 and 12 and which are secured to the rear plate 1 of the apparatus, or they can if desired, be fastened to the walls of the housing 2. A pin 10 extends transversely through the piston rod 8 and forms a stop to limit the rising movement of the piston by contact with the bracket 11, as

' seen in Fig. 4.

Extending transversely across the interior of the housing 2 and mounted for rotative movement in the side walls 45 and 46 thereof, is a shaft 26, which is provided at one end, and on the exterior of the housing 2, with a crank 27 by which said shaft is manually rotated. Secured on the shaft 26 is a gear or pinion 25 in mesh with the rack 9. From the construction thus far described, it will be apparent that by rotative movement of the crank 27, the shaft 26 will be rotated, and its gear 25 in mesh with the rack 9, will cause the piston 5 to be moved up or down according to the direction of rotation of the shaft 26. When the piston 3 is raised upwardly by rotation of the shaft 26 as above described, it will tend to draw ink into the cylinder 3 through the aligned openings 16 and 18. While this is done, the end of a filling nozzle or tube 21, attached by nipple 20 to the lower end of the cylinder 3, should be closed or sealed by a removable closure member as indicated in dotted lines at 40, in Fig. 4. The ink then drawn into the cylinder 3 will fill the lower portion of the cylinder, substantially as indicated at 19 in Fig. 4. When the piston 5 is forced downwardly by reverse movement of the shaft 26, the piston will force the ink 19 out through the filling nozzle 21 to fill a pen cartridge that has then been placed over and around the nozzle 21.

A pen cartridge usually consists of a long, slende tube made of metal, of plastic or of some other material,

and into the front end of which is fitted the conical ballholding unit carrying the rotatable ball. The tube or body of the cartridge is open at its rear end, and in the filling operation, the body of the cartridge is slid over the filling tube or nozzle 21 so that the nozzle enters through the rear open end of the body of the cartridge until the forward end of the nozzle reaches, or very nearly reaches, the ball mounting at the forward end of the cartridge. In other words, the filling tube or nozzle 21 enters the body of the cartridge for substantially the length of the inside of the cartridge. The external diameter of the filling tube or nozzle 21 is nearly that of the inside diameter of the cartridge, but is sufficiently smaller to permit of the easy sliding movement of the cartridge over the tube 21.

When a cartridge to be filled is placed in position over the filling tube or nozzle 21, as above described, it will be supported on a suitable surface 22 located beneath the tube 21, and formed at the top of a base member shown at 23. By rotative movement of the crank 27 in the proper direction, the piston will be moved downwardly within the cylinder 3 causing the ink 19, which was previously drawn into the lower portion of the cylinder as above described, to be forced from the lower portion of the cylinder and through the filling tube or nozzle 21. As this occurs, the pressure of the ink, starting to fill the interior of the cartridge body, will cause the cartridge to be moved in a direction away from the filling tube, or toward the left as viewed in Fig. 4. This movement of the cartridge will continue during the filling operation, until the cartridge has been filled with ink and when this occurs, the cartridge will have been moved beyond the end of the tube or nozzle 21. The cartridge, which has then been ink-filled as above described, and has become separated from the nozzle 21, can roll down either of the inclined surfaces 23a provided on the base 23 to be captured by one or the other of the flanges 24 from whence it can be removed by the operator.

Before proceeding with the refilling of a cartridge from which the previous ink supply has become depleted, it is often found desirable to facilitate the refilling operation, by first softening or liquefying any corroded or hardened ink that might be remaining in the body of the cartridge. This is done by injecting or dropping a small quantity of an ink solvent, such as alcohol or acetone into the barrel or the body of the cartridge. To cause the then softened ink to then move toward the ball-point of the cartridge and to possibly cause some of it to pass out at this end of the cartridge, the cartridge is then subjected to the action of centrifugal force. This is done by means provided as a part of the improved apparatus, and to be now described.

At 34 is shown a holder for one of the cartridges, which is indicated in dotted lines at 38, and is shown as resting in the holder 34 with its pointed end contacting against the closed end 35 of the holder 34. The holder 34 is open at its opposite end, and which open end might be slightly flared if desired, to facilitate the placement of the cartridge within the holder. The holder 34 is secured, eccentrically of its length, to a short shaft 28 that is rotatively mounted in one of the side walls of the housing 2 and also in a bracket 33 secured to said housing wall. Said shaft 28 has a small gear or pinion 29 fixed on it and in mesh with a larger gear 30 secured on a shaft 31 rotatively mounted in the walls of the housing 2. A crank 32 is attached to the shaft 31 exteriorly of the housing 2. It will be apparent that when the crank 32 is manually turned, the shaft 31 will be rotated, and through its coupling with shaft 28 by means of the meshed gears 30 and 29, it will impart a rapid whirling action to the holder 34 and the cartridge 38 contained within it, thus causing any fluid within the cartridge 38, such as the softened ink, or ink mixed with the solvent, to be urged by centrifugal force toward the '4 pointed end of the cartridge. After this operation has been applied to the cartridge, it may be removed from the holder 34 and refilled with ink in the manner heretofore described.

Surrounding the holder 34 is a guard or casing 39 within which the holder 34 is rotated. Provided at the top of the guard or casing 39 is a hole or aperture 42 through which a cartridge may be dropped to enter through the upper open end 37 of the holder 34 and fall into place within the holder preparatory to be centrifuged as above described. This deposit of the cartridge can only take place while the holder 34 is positioned as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or with its open end 37 directed upwardly. An indicating device shows that the holder is in position to receive a cartridge through hole 42, said device being visible to the operator through an opening provided in the guard housing 39. After having been centrifuged the cartridge 38 is removed from the holder 34 by inverting the holder 34 or by locating it with its open end 37 disposed downwardly. At this time, such open end 37 will register with a hole or aperture 36 provided in the lower end of the guard casing 39, and the cartridge will fall out through the opening 36 into a suitable collection receptacle that can be placed below it.

While the centrifugal device herein described is primarily devised for the purpose of softening hardened ink and forcing the same toward and possibly forcing some of it out of the pointed end of the cartridge, it often occurs that through maintenance of air or bubbles in ink that has been injected into the cartridge during the filling operation, the ink will not properly flow to reach the ball point, in initial tests made after the refilling operation. In such cases, the refilled pen is subjected to the action of centrifugal force by being whirled while located in the holder 34, and this will immediately force the ink against the ball and cause proper flow and resultant satisfactory writing results.

I have herein mentioned the fact that the described device and filling method herein disclosed is primarily intended for the refilling of ball-point pen cartridges. It will be apparent, however, that the method and described apparatus need not be limited to the refilling of these cartridges but can, of course, be used for the initial or original filling of the same. Also, while I have herein suggested that the shafts 26 and 31 shall be manually rotated, it is to be understood that either or both of these shafts might be electrically rotated. It is also possible to arrange the holder 34 to receive a number of the cartridges at once to simultaneously centrifuge them.

Having described an embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for filling ball-point pen cartridges, comprising a support for maintaining a cartridge in a horizontal position, a filling tube located above the support and spaced therefrom an extent to enable a cartridge resting on the support to be positioned with the tube inserted within it, a cylinder extending vertically above one end of the tube, the tube having an upwardly-bent end detachably secured to the lower end of the cylinder, a piston vertically reciprocable in the cylinder, said piston being operative to draw ink into the cylinder from an ink source and then force the ink out through the filling tube and into the cartridge surrounding the same, a rotating shaft extending transversely to the axis of the cylinder, means by which the shaft is rotated, and gearing operative by the rotation of the shaft to reciprocate the piston.

2. An apparatus for filling ball point pen cartridges comprising, a support for horizontally maintaining a cartridge to be filled, a filling tube extending horizontally and entering a cartridge located on the support, a ver tically-arranged cylinder, a piston operative therein, a

rack connected to the piston, a gear in mesh with the rack, a shaft on which the gear is mounted, means for manually rotating the shaft to cause the gear to actuate the rack and produce vertical reciprocation of the piston within the cylinder, an ink reservoir through which the cylinder extends, said cylinder having an opening in its side wall in communication with the interior of the ink reservoir and through which ink reaches the interior of the cylinder below the piston, the filling tube having an end extending angularly to its body, said end being attached to one end of the cylinder externally of the reservoir and disposed at an angle to the axis of the cylinder.

3. In an apparatus as provided for in claim 2, wherein a check valve is interposed between the interior of the ink reservoir and the opening in the wall of the cylinder, and the support includes inclined surfaces over which the filled cartridge can descend at the conclusion of the filling operation.

4. An apparatus for filling ball point pen cartridges comprising, an ink reservoir, means for supporting the same, a vertically-arranged cylinder extending through the reservoir and having an opening in its side wall for establishing communication between the interior of the reservoir and the lower interior portion of the cylinder, a piston mounted for reciprocating movement within the cylinder, a housing within which the upper portion of the cylinder extends, a rack attached to an end of the cylinder and vertically reciprocable therewith, said rack being enclosed in the casing, a shaft extending transversely of the rack, a gear on said shaft and in mesh with the rack, a crank on the shaft located externally of the casing and manually operative to rotate the shaft and gear thereon and thus reciprocate the rack and its attached piston, the cylinder having its lower end disposed below the reservoir, 21 filling tube having one end attached to the lower end of the cylinder, said tube having its greater portion extending at right angles to the axis of the cylinder, a cartridge support below the filling tube to maintain a cartridge while being filled, said support having downwardly divergent surfaces over which the filled cartridge can descend by gravity at the conclusion of the filling operation, and a ledge on said support for halting the descent of the filled cartridge.

5. In an apparatus for filling ball point pen cartridges, a vertical cylinder, a piston reciprocable within the same, means for supplying ink to the interior of the cylinder below the piston, a horizontally-arranged filling tube connected to the lower end of the cylinder, a support below the filling tube for supporting a cartridge to be filled, said support having at least one inclined surface extending downwardly from the filling tube to cause a filled cartridge to descend thereon by gravity, and means at the lower end of the inclined surface for halting the descent of the filled cartridge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,647,232 Kiefer Nov. 1, 1927 1,693,261 Sweetland Nov. 27, 1928 1,977,138 Newey Oct. 16, 1934 2,072,344 Risser Mar. 2, 1937 2,277,437 Hultgren et al. Mar. 24, 1942 2,545,319 Sundholm Mar. 13, 1951 2,550,157 Mazza Apr. 24, 1951 

